Peruvian Maca (Lepidium peruvianum): (II) Phytochemical Profiles of Four Prime Maca Phenotypes Grown in Two Geographically-Distant Locations.

Peruvian Maca crops (Lepidium peruvianum), grown in two geographically-distant cultivation sites located at similar altitudes in the highlands of the Peruvian Andes (Junin at 4,200 m a.s.l.

Soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in forests along an altitudinal gradient in the eastern Himalayas and a meta-analysis of global data.

High-altitude soils potentially store a large pool of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). The assessment of total C and N stocks in soils is vital to understanding the C and N dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we examined effects of altitude and forest composition on soil C and N along a transect from 317 to 3300 m a.

Peruvian Maca (Lepidium peruvianum): (I) Phytochemical and Genetic Differences in Three Maca Phenotypes.

Glucosinolates were previously reported as physiologically-important constituents present in Peruvian Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon) and linked to various therapeutic functions of differently-colored Peruvian Maca hypocotyls. In two separate Trials, three colours of Maca hypocotyls "Black", "Red" and "Yellow" (termed "Maca phenotypes"), were selected from mixed crops of Peruvian Maca for laboratory studies as fresh and after being dried. Individual Maca phenotypes were cultivated in the highlands of the Peruvian Andes at 4,200m a.

Leptospermum flavescens Constituent-LF1 Causes Cell Death through the Induction of Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Human Lung Carcinoma Cells.

Leptospermum flavescens Sm. (Myrtaceae), locally known as 'Senna makki' is a smallish tree that is widespread and recorded to naturally occur in the montane regions above 900 m a.s.

Austrodontella monticola sp. nov., a new species of Collembola from montane New Zealand.

Collembola were collected from soil in the alpine belt (1600-1900 m a.s.l.

Cerebral amyloidosis associated with cognitive decline in autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease.

Objective: To investigate the associations of cerebral amyloidosis with concurrent cognitive performance and with longitudinal cognitive decline in asymptomatic and symptomatic stages of autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD).

Methods: Two hundred sixty-three participants enrolled in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network observational study underwent neuropsychological evaluation as well as PET scans with Pittsburgh compound B. One hundred twenty-one participants completed at least 1 follow-up neuropsychological evaluation.

Extreme UV index and solar exposures at Plateau Rosà (3500 m a.s.l.) in Valle d'Aosta Region, Italy.

The purpose of this study is to assess personal exposures of skiers at the Alpine site of Plateau Rosà (45.9°N, 7.7°E, 3500 m a.

Haplosufficient genomic androgen receptor signaling is adequate to protect female mice from induction of polycystic ovary syndrome features by prenatal hyperandrogenization.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic abnormalities. Because hyperandrogenism is the most consistent PCOS feature, we used wild-type (WT) and androgen receptor (AR) knockout (ARKO) mice, together with a mouse model of PCOS, to investigate the contribution of genomic AR-mediated actions in the development of PCOS traits. PCOS features were induced by prenatal exposure to dihydrotestosterone (250 μg) or oil vehicle (control) on days 16-18 of gestation in WT, heterozygote, and homozygote ARKO mice.

Desktop analysis of potential impacts of visitor use: a case study for the highest park in the Southern Hemisphere.

Nature-based tourism and recreation activities have a range of environmental impacts, but most protected area agencies have limited capacity to assess them. To prioritise where and what impacts to monitor and manage, we conducted a desktop assessment using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) by combining recreation ecology research with data on visitor usage and key environmental features for a popular protected area used for mountaineering and trekking, Aconcagua Provincial Park (2400-6962 m a.s.

Changes in host-parasitoid food web structure with elevation.

Gradients in elevation are increasingly used to investigate how species respond to changes in local climatic conditions. Whilst many studies have shown elevational patterns in species richness and turnover, little is known about how food web structure is affected by elevation. Contrasting responses of predator and prey species to elevation may lead to changes in food web structure.

SOX3 deletion in mouse and human is associated with persistence of the craniopharyngeal canal.

Context: SOX3 is an early developmental transcription factor involved in pituitary development. In humans, over- and underdosage of SOX3 is associated with X-linked hypopituitarism with variable phenotypes ranging from isolated GH deficiency (GHD) to panhypopituitarism, with or without mental retardation and, in most cases, with reported pituitary imaging, an ectopic/undescended posterior pituitary.

Patient: We present a young patient with hemophilia B and developmental delay who had a 2.

Characterization of reproductive, metabolic, and endocrine features of polycystic ovary syndrome in female hyperandrogenic mouse models.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-10% of women of reproductive age, causing a range of reproductive, metabolic and endocrine defects including anovulation, infertility, hyperandrogenism, obesity, hyperinsulinism, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Hyperandrogenism is the most consistent feature of PCOS, but its etiology remains unknown, and ethical and logistic constraints limit definitive experimentation in humans to determine mechanisms involved. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive characterization of reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic PCOS traits in 4 distinct murine models of hyperandrogenism, comprising prenatal dihydrotestosterone (DHT, potent nonaromatizable androgen) treatment during days 16-18 of gestation, or long-term treatment (90 days from 21 days of age) with DHT, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), or letrozole (aromatase inhibitor).

A new species of Choerophryne (Anura, Microhylidae) from the central cordillera of Papua New Guinea.

We describe a new species of very small microhylid frog in the genus Choerophryne from the upper Strickland River area, Western and Southern Highlands Provinces, Papua New Guinea. Choerophryne gracilirostris sp. nov.

The eastern swamp crayfish Gramastacus lacus sp. n. (Decapoda, Parastacidae) a new species of freshwater crayfish from coastal New South Wales, Australia.

Gramastacus lacus sp. n., is described from coastal lowlands of the Central and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia.

Dieback and Mortality of Pinus radiata Trees in Italy Associated with Phytophthora cryptogea.

Pinus radiata D. Don is a forest tree species native to the Monterey Baja in California. Due to its rapid growth and desirable lumber and pulp qualities, between 1960 and 1980, about 12,000 ha of P.

Stability of athlete blood passport parameters during air freight.

Introduction: Fluctuations in ambient temperature and pressure, as well as physical jostling, may affect the stability of whole blood samples transported by air freight. The aim of this study was to characterize the stability of key blood variables during air freight and to investigate whether vibration or reduced pressure alone affected results.

Methods: Over a 72-h interval, we evaluated the stability of full blood count indices (plus reticulocytes) in tubes that were air-freighted a total of 2, 10 and 28 h.

A test of the thermal melanism hypothesis in the wingless grasshopper Phaulacridium vittatum.

Altitudinal clines in melanism are generally assumed to reflect the fitness benefits resulting from thermal differences between colour morphs, yet differences in thermal quality are not always discernible. The intra-specific application of the thermal melanism hypothesis was tested in the wingless grasshopper Phaulacridium vittatum (Sjöstedt) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) first by measuring the thermal properties of the different colour morphs in the laboratory, and second by testing for differences in average reflectance and spectral characteristics of populations along 14 altitudinal gradients. Correlations between reflectance, body size, and climatic variables were also tested to investigate the underlying causes of clines in melanism.

Impacts of informal trails on vegetation and soils in the highest protected area in the Southern Hemisphere.

There is limited recreation ecology research in South America, especially studies looking at informal trails. Impacts of informal trails formed by hikers and pack animals on vegetation and soils were assessed for the highest protected area in the Southern Hemisphere, Aconcagua Provincial Park. The number of braided trails, their width and depth were surveyed at 30 sites along the main access route to Mt Aconcagua (6962 m a.

High-resolution temperature responses of leaf respiration in snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) reveal high-temperature limits to respiratory function.

We tested whether snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) trees growing in thermally contrasting environments exhibit generalizable temperature (T) response functions of leaf respiration (R) and fluorescence (Fo). Measurements were made on pot-grown saplings and field-grown trees (growing between 1380 and 2110 m a.s.

Accumulating pollutants in conifer needles on an Atlantic island - a case study with Pinus canariensis on Tenerife, Canary Islands.

Concentrations of potential pollutant elements Na, Cl, and S were investigated in needles of Pinus canariensis grown at 55 field plots in Tenerife. Microelement concentrations (including heavy metals) were measured at a subset of 18 plots. Na and Cl concentrations were high at low elevations (up to 8 mg g(-1) Cl and 5.

Pollen input to, and incorporation in, two crater lakes in tropical northeast Australia.

Pollen input to the water surfaces of maar crater lakes Barrine and Eacham (1km(2) and 0.5km(2) respectively, ca. 720m a.